Workers at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center (MWMC) represented by SEIU 49 have announced that they are set to strike again on Monday, Dec. 6. This will be their second strike during this bargaining period after workers held a two day strike from Oct 5 – Oct 7. This time they plan to strike for five days.
Workers have held multiple bargaining sessions since their first strike with a federal mediator and they allege that management continues to partake in unfair labor practices. The union report that MWMC administrators are proposing 5% raises to healthcare costs and wages that do not meet the cost of living in the area. Workers also continue to fight for COVID protections in the contract.
At the last strike a major point of contention was MWMC outsourcing workers, the union says that hospital will go ahead with outsourcing about 70 workers to Texas-based HHS, formerly known as Hospital Housekeeping System, on Dec. 5. Those workers will legally not be able to strike, but can join the picket line in solidarity.
Workers are set to walk out at 7am on Monday at McKenzie-Willamette in Springfield. In addition to showing support on the picket line, the union is asking supporters to sign onto their petition. More details on strike times can be found on their Facebook event page.